Nine high-end hotels in Sanya including the Ritz-Carlton, however, still charge more than 5,000 yuan for some rooms per night.

"The room-price ceiling doesn't affect luxury suites and villas," said Guo.

A spokesman for St Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort said her hotel's room rate has been settled at around 5,000 yuan this year, from between 6,000 to 7,000 yuan last year.

"But the reduced rate hasn't really affected our business as there are only a few hotels along Yalong Bay, where we are, and so we're always fully-booked no matter what."

Meanwhile, Thailand is listed as the most popular outbound tourist destination for Chinese, followed by Singapore, Bali in Indonesia and Cambodia.

"Thailand's handy location and its hospitality culture have attracted increasing numbers of Chinese in recent years," said C-trip's Peng Liang, adding that the number of bookings have doubled this year, compared to last year.

Wang Xizi, a 28-year-old Shanghai resident who has just booked her tickets to Thailand, said: "It's my fifth time there. The price of my hotel and flight have increased slightly this year, but it's still affordable."

shiyingying@chinadaily.com.cn

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